The British team were competing at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in the Netherlands last week

Four support staff for the British team at last week’s Cyclo-Cross World Championships in the Netherlands have apologised after “inappropriate” photos were posted on social media.

The images, obtained by the BBC, show the individuals – who were working for British Cycling on a freelance basis – posing in GB kit with a piece of paper displaying the phrase “Full Mongo”.

‘Mongo’ is a derogatory reference to someone with Down’s Syndrome.

In another post, one of the support team also referred to two of his colleagues as “mongos”.

British Cycling confirmed to BBC Sport that “a member of the public” made them aware of the post.

“We immediately notified the individual, who apologised and took down the post,” read a statement. “The other individuals involved have also apologised.

“All team staff and riders have been reminded of their responsibilities with regards to the use of social media. British Cycling unreservedly condemns discriminatory behaviour of any kind.”

Britain enjoyed a successful World Championships in Valkenburg, with Ben Tulett claiming the junior men’s title and Evie Richards retaining her Women’s Under-23 crown.

But the revelations are another blow to British Cycling as it attempts to repair its reputation and overhaul its culture after a series of scandals.

In 2016, the organisation’s former technical director Shane Sutton was suspended pending a formal investigation into accusations that he called Paralympic cyclists in the British squad “gimps” and “wobblies”.

He denied the allegations.

British Cycling recently appointed a new chairman Frank Slevin, who said he wanted to “draw a line” after the controversies of the past two years.